Category: basketball

When coaching basketball offense it is key to first understand the principles of liability.Listed are 11 principals about coaching basketball offense that can be passed on your your players.

1. Always move to receive a pass. The offensive player should keep the defense busy watching the ball and the players by cutting and faking.

2. Quick, fast passes will keep the defense off-balance. Dribbling gives the defensive time to get in a good defensive position. It is important for offensive players to be in a good, balanced position on receiving the pass so that a number of moves can be made.

3. Individual movements are important for each player to develop. These moves are then incorporated with other teams' moves for an effective team offensive.

4. If an offensive player drives to the basket for a lay-up, all other offensive players should clear out of the area.

5. Floor balance is a basic key to winning basketball. All players must know when to enter a play situation or keep out.

6. Give and Go is the simplest offensive pattern. It is used in all offensive patterns, simple or complex.

7. The player with the ball should always be followed by a trailer for a safety pass back if forward progress is blocked. Also, if the ball is intercepted, the trailer is ready for defense.

8. Never force a pass or shot if several defensive players converge on the ball. Turn and pass the ball back.

9. Move the ball out and around the top when moving the ball from one side of the court to the other.

10. On the shot, all offensive players should move into offensive rebounding positions ready to put the rebound up for another shot.

11. Screens or blocks create a situation with two offensive players against one defensive player. These are essential to learn.

If you can’t imagine something then it’s probably not possible. If you are lacking confidence or you have a negative outlook on something you can usually defeat these problems by using your imagination.

Don’t you remember playing cops and robbers as a child or playing house? These are just two examples of imagination at its best. Just by imagining you’re someone else you can create an entertaining experience out of something that otherwise would’ve have been a dull experience.

You’re looking to dribble a basketball better right? So why not pretend that you’re an N.B.A. pro or a street ball player that can dribble the ball very well. Pretend that you’re Chris Paul or Allen Iverson. Let’s say your favorite basketball dribbler is Chris Paul. When you’re in a situation where you don’t know what to do with the basketball, think about what would Chris Paul do? Thinking this way can give you confidence that you never thought you had.

You may be thinking, oh this is silly, but the fact of the matter is it works! If you’re broke and you believe that you’re Donald Trump you will feel richer, If you’re shy and you believe that you’re Will Smith you will be more social. There are so many situations where you can use your imagination to give you an instant confidence boost.

Some people are very harsh on themselves. They have a negative view of themselves that they programmed into their brain and can’t remove. Using their imagination and pretending to be someone else can help remove this negative view from their brains.

You can try pretending to be different players until you find the one that you can relate to the best. If you have a few basketball players that you like and can dribble the ball very well, try pretending to be each one of them. For example if you favorite ball handlers were Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant, you would pretend to be Chris Paul today, then pretend to be Allen Iverson the next day and pretend to be Kobe the day the third day. Whichever player you pretended to be and felt the most confident as is the one you want to stick with.

Using your imagination this way can be very powerful. If you’ve never tried this I advise you to give this a try. This may seem strange or corny but the great apart about it is nobody has to know you’re doing it. I’m not saying to talk like the player or dress up like them but you can just attempt to play like them.

This is a great solution if you really want to dribble a basketball better. This will deliver instant results but you shouldn’t use this to replace ball handling drills and exercises.

However you can use this technique with a series of ball handling drills and exercises for some amazing improvement to your dribbling …

Sports are a pastime and are meant to be fun. Minor injuries can occur and are even inevitable in certain sports but serious injury caused by another person is a different story and may be grounds for a lawsuit.

If you have been injured by the actions of another player or a coach or a referee, you should first seek immediate medical attention. Then, depending on your situation, filing a lawsuit may be the appropriate next step for you. It is extremely important that the attorney you choose to handle your case is one who has handled sports injury cases before and is, therefore, familiar with this tricky area of the law.

Was it a contact or non-contact sport?

The general view of the courts is that sports are physical and sometimes dangerous and you are responsible for taking that risk. However, that doesn’t mean another player or coach or referee cannot be held liable if you are seriously injured.

The standard in personal injury cases is negligence – if someone’s negligence causes injury, they are liable. This is still the rule in non-contact sports. An example of a non-contact sport is tennis. If you were injured during a tennis match, then you would sue under a negligence theory – i.e. the player or coach was negligent in some way that caused your injury.

However, with contact sports, there is the contact sports exception (also known as the contact sports doctrine), which states that a person is only liable if their actions were intentional or willful and wanton. Contact sports include soccer, baseball and basketball. If physical contact is an expected part of the sport, then it qualifies as a contact sport. If you were injured while playing a contact sport and you believe that the injury was caused by another player’s intentional actions, you would sue under the contact sports exception.

Proving it was intentional or willful or wanton

Proving that the defendant acted intentionally or recklessly will depend on the facts and other factors such as whether the action is what is acceptable or routine in that particular sport. For example, brushing into a player as they slide into home base is typical but tripping the player is not. The facts of your case and the range of normal activity in the particular sport you were playing will be used to prove intent.

Was it a full contact sport?

Full contact sports are another exception all their own. For these sports, the standard is intentional or completely beyond normal activity for that particular sport. Full contact sports include football, hockey and boxing, where physical contact is actually an element of the game. So, if you were seriously injured during a football game, you would have to prove that the defendant’s actions were intentional or that the defendant’s actions went completely beyond what is acceptable in that particular sport.

Was it caused by a non-participant?

It is believed that holding non-participants like a coach or a referee accountable for …

It’s pretty undeniable that there are a lot of decisions to be made when you observe all of the hundreds of basketball hoops for sale. Should you get a portable unit or in ground? Should you get a system with a square pole or round? How big should it be?

But one of the most important decisions is what the basketball backboard material. The four backboard materials offered are molded plastic, acrylic, polycarbonate, and glass. So what is the difference between them, and how do you know which one you should get?

Molded Plastic

This is the cheapest basketball backboard, and you typically see it on the least expensive systems. If you are an adult player who is interested in playing a good game of basketball, you should generally stay away from this material. It vibrates a lot and the fairly soft plastic simply absorbs the force of the basketball when you throw bank shots. That means that instead of getting a good rebound, it kind of just drops down. If, however, you are buying for a kid, this material is fine, as they aren’t typically concerned with having high quality rebound anyway.

Acrylic

A step up from molded plastic is the acrylic basketball backboard. It works a little bit better because it can be translucent, like pro systems, and acrylic is a bit more a rigid material. That favors you in two big ways. Firstly, it means that you can do bank shots without worrying about the ball dropping straight down quite so much. And secondly, it makes that it is more durable, which means it can take a whole heck lot more abuse without cracking.

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate looks like acrylic, feels like acrylic, and plays like acrylic. So what’s the difference? The difference is in the over durability of the material, which is especially important in mid range basketball hoops where the backboards are relatively thin (about two to three eights of an inch). If you expect to be playing particularly roughly on your basketball hoop, or even if you want an extra level of assurance that your hoop is going to last a very long time, polycarbonate is definitely the way to go.

Glass

Glass is the material that they use in NBA, college, and even the large majority of high school courts. The reason why it is still so popular is because it is the most rigid material of all, and therefore offers the most rebound.

Buyers should be aware, however, that systems with this level of quality are usually pricier than acrylic or polycarbonate basketball hoops, usually costing at least eight hundred dollars and often more. However, in terms of play, there is just no comparison for the rigidity and rebound of a real glass basketball hoop.…

Mozambicans are quite passionate about their sports; with a firm focus on soccer and to a lesser extent other sports. There are lots of opportunities for hobbies and recreational activities, but as these can be quite costly at times you will find most Mozambican’s aren’t able to partake. As with most other facets of this beautiful country, the lack infrastructure combined with the poverty levels have had a profound effect on the development of sports and hobbies through the entire land.

As a result of this, many of the most popular sports are those that don’t require much money to play.

Soccer

Soccer, sometimes known as football due to the Portuguese influence, is hugely popular in Mozambique as in other African nations. You will often come across both children and adults having an informal game whenever possible, especially on weekends. The structure for proper club soccer is not as good as in other countries due to infrastructure challenges, but there are still some professional clubs about. There is a lot of exchange between Portugal and Mozambique in soccer terms, with players and teams from each country regularly playing with and against each other.

Athletics

Athletics is a sport that is not a widely practiced as it should be, given the relative ease of getting involved. Mozambican does at times punch above its weight in this field of sport, having won a gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics proving that they can compete at the highest level.

Basketball

Unlike most other southern African nations, Basketball is a very popular sport in Mozambique. While being internationally recognized since 1978, the Mozambican national team has yet to win any notable championships. This of course hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm for the sport and it is still quite widespread.

Capoeira

The martial art sport of Capoeira is starting to take off in Mozambique, with the popularity growing at a rapid pace.

Stadiums

Stadiums and sporting facilities in Mozambique are in short supply, with some world class facilities recently being constructed with foreign investment. The outlying areas tend to have little to no facilities, while the soccer clubs seem to attract all the investment. The newest and best stadium is the Estadio do Zimpeto which was opened in 2011 and is able to seat up to 42,000 people. While being touted as a multi-use stadium, it is almost exclusively used for soccer matches.

Hobbies

The types of hobbies available in Mozambique are generally all of the physical, outdoor variety. The more popular hobbies include:

Fishing: With a substantial coast line, Mozambique is well known for fishing. This takes the form of both subsistence and recreational fishing. The country is well known for game fishing and is largely unspoiled, making it a firm favorite with both local and international visitors.

Watersports: Any sort of sport involving the water, whether it is sailing, diving or even just swimming, is quite popular due to the warm weather and water.

If you’re planning to play basketball there is one thing you must have. The reason you must have this one thing is that basketball puts tremendous pressure on your ankle and your foot which lead up to your knees and back. The one thing you must have is a good quality basketball shoe. Without the right basketball shoe you are putting yourself at risk for injury.

There are two main types of injury that can occur without the right shoe. One of these types of injuries is a chronic injury. A chronic injury will develop over the course of time. Over time as injury becomes worse, you’ll aggravated and make it worse. Some types of chronic injuries that can develop are stress fractures, shin splints, blisters and many others. Another type of injury is an acute injury. An acute injury will occur from the force and impact of running up and down the court. Most of these injuries occur from jumping up and down and landing the wrong way. You may twist an ankle or a knee by landing the wrong way.

There is a way to prevent this. The way to rent this is to select the proper basketball shoe. A basketball shoe to have adequate support to keep your ankle from twisting. This you should also have enough cushioning to absorb the shock to take the stress off of your knees and back. The proper fit the basketball shoe is of the utmost importance to consider. A shoe that does not fit properly will give no support in the areas needed. A recommended type of shoe is that of the hot top.

A high top shoe logo up a little above the ankle and provide extra stabilization. You should also replace your basketball shoes when the soul start to wear out. If you continue to use the shoes until the soul is smooth, you risk injuring yourself by not having enough traction to start and stop. You should also replace your basketball shoes before the upper portion starts to wear and tear and no longer provides the necessary support. And if you’re an avid basketball player that likes to get out a few times a week and play, the shoes will wear faster. This frequency of playing the sport of basketball will probably require you to replace your shoes every two or three months.

Don’t put your health at risk. You don’t want to enjoy playing basketball and then sustain an injury that put you on the bench for months or longer. Be sure to try on your basketball shoes and give them a test run in the store. You may look weird jogging in the store up and down the aisle but that is a small price to pay to make sure you’re going to be able to enjoy playing the sport for a long time. Do not sacrifice the health of your ankles and knees and back for the sake of a few dollars. It will …

There are many exercises that can be done to increase your vertical leap. Some or more effective some or less effective.

The more effective exercises will have you jumping out of the gym.

Do you play basketball?

If you are on your high school basketball team and you follow the exercises that I am about to share with you. Be ready to be all over the sports page of your schools website and the local news papers. Also you can expect to get the attention of college scouts. Because the exercises are just that effective for increasing your vertical leap. Your jumping ability will increase that much.

Same thing for college players; if you are looking ways to better your game and get the national attention of some N.B.A teams or top plays on Sportcenter. Start with the exercises contained in this article.

Even if you are a playground baller and just want to dominate the playground game, this is the best workout to jump higher.

Okay enough talking, lets get to the exercises for the best workout to jump higher.

Remember to always stretch and warm up before doing any of the following exercises.

The best way that I have found to warm up is jumping rope for 3 to 5 minutes.

Exercise 1

Step Ups – steps ups are the 1st exercise in the best workout to jump higher and will develop and work the muscles need to give you the explosive jumping power that you need for jumping off of 1 leg. Not everyone jumps the same.

You are going to need a chair bench or stool for this exercise(anything you can put 1 leg on and it has to be sturdy enough to withstand the force of you thrusting yourself into the air off 1 leg.

Place your right leg on the chair or bench and thrust yourself as high into the air as possible and as explosively as possible

While in mid air switch legs so that the leg that was resting on the ground is not the leg on the chair

After you land thrust yourself back into the air with your left leg and do the same switch mid air again landing with your right leg on the chair.

After each leg is done this is 1 rep, do 25 reps in 3 sets

Exercise 2

Burnouts – are the 2nd exercise in the best workout to jump higher and they focus on developing and strengthening your upper calf muscle, working and training your upper calf muscle help to develop explosive leaping ability that you need when playing basketball.

Stand tall in a athletic position with your arms at your side

Raise up on the tips of your toes

Using only your tip toes, jump 3 to 4 inches in the air and keep it continuous

Basketball has been around for more than 100 years, and while even within the past 30 years the game has gone through major changes, what’s really impressive is how much the actual equipment has changed since the game was first invented, in particular how far the hoop has come.

The original basketball hoop was just a peach basket nailed to a 10 foot high track by Dr. James Naismith as a way to create an indoor game for his students to play when it was too cold outside during the New England winters. This “hoop” still had the bottom to the basket and required that somebody retrieve the ball (which was just a soccer ball at the time) after each score.

Eventually the bottom of the peach basket was cut out, but the ball was still too large to just pass through on its own and required a long dowel rod be used to pop the ball out after each score, which broke up the flow of the game, but was still faster than having to manually retrieve the ball after each score.

Eventually in 1906 metal hoops began to be used and a backboard was introduced to prevent spectators from interfering in the game, a problem that had arisen in the past when the hoops were just nailed to the mezzanine level balcony in whatever hall the game was being played in. The introduction of the backboard also changed the game as it introduced rebounds.

Eventually the backboards were moved from being nailed to various balconies and the upright basketball hoops that we know today were introduced. The backboard material itself has changed over the years, moving from the white plastic/fiberglass materials of the past to glass, which in turn gave way to shatter-resistant safety glass not unlike what’s found in cars.

The entire hoop setup went through numerous changes in the last 40 years, in part because of the advent of players destroying backboards with dunks. In addition to the advent of shatter-resistant glass, tear-away rims were introduced that also helped reduce the safety hazard presented by the potential for a slam dunk to destroy the backboard.

More recently, the entire basketball system was redesigned when larger players became capable of tearing down the entire hoop and backboard system, creating a safety hazard no just to themselves, but to the players and spectators around them. The new hoops have several mechanisms in place to prevent them from being torn down, including more pieces that can just tear away in smaller pieces as opposed to bringing the entire backboard down.

It will be interesting to see what changes the sport continues to make to the equipment as technology advances. Will we one day see floating hoops and backboards that eliminate the upright post that can be a collision hazard? Only time will tell, but I for one look forward to finding out.…

Volleyball and Basketball, two sports so different, and yet so much alike. Both need to focus on a balanced training program, that targets specific groups of muscles. The training needs to ensure that your agility, quickness, and vertical jumping ability are brought to your maximum. You need to begin with your attitude and mental strength towards your regular workouts.

Your attitude and your mental strength will be tested. If being on the top level of competing is where you want to be, then you have to work for it. If your attitude and your mental strength are not focused, you’ll never become all you can be. Your attitude helps you to focus, and your mental strength makes you focus. Only when both are in place, will you excel to your full potential.

Maybe the most important part of any training program is nutrition. What lots of athletes don’t realize is that training isn’t what builds your muscles, the correct nutritional program does. When your nutrition is properly regulated, every part of the body is tuned and injuries are kept down. Short cuts cannot be taken when it comes to nutrition.

A personal trainer that knows what works and what doesn’t is a plus. But not everyone agrees, thinking that doing a few exercises 4 or 5 times a week is all that’s needed. The unfortunate thing is that you can workout on your own and really feel the burn, but you may not be training the proper muscle and fiber groups for your particular needs.

Many promising athletes simply give up pursuing their dreams because of little or no improvement. What many times is the case is that they haven’t been training properly, and its got nothing to do with their ability. There’s more to training than just training, you have to know how to train correctly. And its your responsibility to understand how to train right, and if the program your following is the right one. If it feels wrong, then its wrong!…

Basketball shooting drills are a great way to improve your shooting accuracy and reliability but a problem with many of them is that they are designed to be done in a team or in pairs or threes. In this article, I will share with you some great solo basketball drills that you can do on your own, almost anywhere.

Bump And Move

Pick 5 spots that are foul line distance from the hoop. Of course, the central spot will be right on the foul line but the others will be slightly in front of it because diagonal shots are automatically longer.

Agree to get a swish before you can move on to the next spot. It can get annoying when you keep failing to get a swish but this is all part of the learning process.

One Handed Flick

Lie back in a reclining chair or on the end of the bed. Somewhere where you can still extend your hand to a small distance behind your head.

Now, toss the ball vertically upwards and catch it again in your hand. This will get you better suited to the weight of the ball. This is extremely important because a good shot is not just about hand-eye coordination. It is also about knowing exactly how much force to apply because you know the characteristics of the ball so well.

Layup To Free Throw Drill

This drill is really fun because there is a lot of variation involved.

Start at the foul line and do 5 layups with your favored hand. Then do 5 layups with your other hand. Finally, shoot 10 regular free throws. You must score at least 7 of them or else you will have to start all over again.

This drill is great for simulating realistic conditions and also getting you to become more natural with your non-dominant hand. Too many players are only one-handed. If you develop your ability to shoot almost as well with your other hand then you will be a great asset to any team.…